The following relates to operating computer facilities that provide secure storage, high-speed data connections, and uninterrupted power supplies for a plurality of computers at a common site.
Businesses and other entities typically have one or more high-speed, high-capacity servers for processing/storing data and networking personal computers. In a typical application, a large entity or hosting operation has a computer facility with one or more ventilated cabinets, a cooling system, a power supply, and a high-speed data connection. Such a complex facility, however, can be prohibitively expensive for e-commerce or other small businesses that require a high-speed data connection and a 24-hour uninterrupted power supply.
Co-location computer facilities provide small businesses many of the same advantages of a full-service computer facility at a fraction of the cost of owning and operating such a facility. A typical co-location facility has a computer room with a high-speed data connection, an uninterrupted power supply, a cooling system, and a plurality of individual cabinets with individual locks. Individual businesses lease cabinet space in one or more cabinets from a co-location operator for housing their servers, communications equipment, and other related equipment. Each individual client accordingly has a key to only its own cabinet such that its equipment and data are protected from theft or vandalism.
One specific cabinet system for co-location facilities is manufactured by SMC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fisher Hamilton LLC, of Conklin, N.Y. SMC manufactures xe2x80x9cCoLoxe2x80x9d cabinets that come in single compartment, two-compartment or three-compartment configurations. The SMC CoLo cabinets generally have a total height of 83 inches and a separate locking door for each compartment. The single compartment cabinet accordingly has one large door for the full height of the cabinet, and it has several individual shelves or racks internally within the compartment. The two-compartment or three-compartment SMC cabinets may also have individual shelves within each compartment. The two-compartment SMC cabinet has an upper compartment separated from a lower compartment by a perforated divider shelf that is shared by both compartments. The three-compartment SMC cabinet has an upper perforated divider shelf separating the upper compartment from the middle compartment, and a lower perforated divider shelf separating the lower compartment from the middle compartment. Each divider shelf in the three-compartment SMC cabinet is accordingly shared by two adjacent compartments. Although the SMC cabinets adequately protect the individual servers of particular customers, these cabinet systems suffer from several drawbacks.
One drawback of conventional co-location cabinet systems is that they inefficiently use the limited space at a co-location facility. Co-location operators generally install the high-speed data connections, the uninterrupted power supplies, and the cabinet systems in a facility before they have customers to lease all of the cabinet space. The co-location operators accordingly need to estimate the number of single compartment, two-compartment and three-compartment cabinets they will need to accommodate future customers, but their estimates are frequently incorrect because the size of the servers and the requirements of the customers continually change. As a result, many co-location operators have several vacant cabinets, or some of the large cabinets are underutilized by housing only a small sever. Therefore, conventional co-location cabinet systems may not provide an efficient use of space in a co-location computer facility.
Another drawback of conventional co-location cabinet systems is that the cabling for the high-speed data connections and the wiring for the power supply generally need to be installed before installing the cabinet systems. As a result, the cabling and wiring installed when the computer room was constructed may further limit the flexibility of changing a particular cabinet configuration or accommodating different clients. Conventional co-location cabinet systems accordingly limit the ability to configure the cabinets according to the particular requirements of a changing marketplace.
Still another drawback of conventional co-location cabinet systems is that they are relatively expensive. For example, each SMC CoLo cabinet can cost between $1,800-$2,500. Therefore, it requires a significant capital investment to provide a co-location facility that can handle hundreds of individual customers.
The invention is directed toward computer facilities and computer storage systems for such facilities. In one embodiment, a computer storage system for a co-location computer facility comprises a rack, a first cable guard and at least a detachable first computer storage unit or compartment. The rack can comprise a first upright having a first height and a second upright spaced laterally apart from the first upright. The first cable guard can be attached to one of the first or second uprights, or the first cable guard can be integral with one of the first or second uprights. The first cable guard can accordingly be defined by an enclosure extending along at least a portion of the first height. The first cable guard can also include a lockable door on a first side of the enclosure.
The first computer storage unit can have several different configurations. In one embodiment, the first computer storage unit comprises a first rigid case attached to the first and second uprights, a first door movably attached to the first case, and a first lock attached to the first door. The first case generally has a second height less than the first height of the first upright, and the first case can be detached from the first and second uprights. In other embodiments, the computer storage system can also include a second computer storage unit having a second rigid case removably attached to the first and second uprights, a second door movably attached to the second case, and a second lock attached to the second door. The second case, for example, can have a height less than the first height of the first upright, and the second computer storage unit is separate from the first computer storage unit. Each of the first and second cases can also include a locking back door to provide access to the back panel of the servers.
In a typical co-location facility, the computer storage system has at least one rack and a plurality of separate computer storage units removably attached to the rack. The computer storage units are generally spaced apart from each other by small gaps such that adjacent storage units do not share a common wall or panel. As a result, the computer storage system can be configured and reconfigured by attaching and detaching the appropriate computer storage units to a rack to accommodate the particular requirements of the market conditions at a co-location facility. Additional racks with additional computer storage units can also be added to a co-location facility to expand the capacity for providing additional storage space. Therefore, several embodiments of co-location computer storage systems provide co-location facility operators the ability to configure their computer storage units and racks as they obtain clients so that they can efficiently use the space in their computer room.